Kimberly Hébert Gregory, celebrated for her role as the formidable Dr. Belinda Brown on HBO's Vice Principals, has passed away at the age of 52. Her death, confirmed by her former husband and fellow actors, marks the loss of a talented performer whose work spanned theatre, television, and film. The cause of her death has not been publicly disclosed.
Her former husband, Chester Gregory, paid tribute to Hébert Gregory on Instagram, describing her as "Brilliance Embodied, A Black Woman Whose Mind Lit Every Room, Whose Presence Carried Both Fire And Grace." He added, "So Much More Than Ex-Wife, You Were My Friend. Our Son, The Song We Wrote Together, Is The Living Echo Of Your Light."
Walton Goggins, who starred alongside her in Vice Principals, also shared his condolences, writing, "We lost one of the best yesterday... one of the best I've ever worked with. I had the honor... the good fortune of getting to know, getting to spend months working with this Queen on Vice Principals."
Other performers who remembered her included Kym Whitley, Leslie Odom Jr., and Jason Ritter, highlighting the widespread respect and admiration she commanded in the industry.
Hébert Gregory's career took flight in theatre, where she appeared in productions such as Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays in New York and a host of other acclaimed stage works. Her early theatre credits include Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery, The Amen Corner, Antony and Cleopatra, The Hot L Baltimore, and Gee's Bend, among many others. Her performance in By the Way, Meet Vera Stark earned her nominations for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play and the Lucille Lortel Award.
She made her television breakthrough with HBO's Vice Principals in 2016, playing Dr. Belinda Brown, a high school principal caught in a rivalry with vice principals Neal Gamby (Danny McBride) and Lee Russell (Walton Goggins). The Los Angeles Times praised her character's complexity, noting that "[Gregory's] character is an invitation to political incorrectness -- when told she graduated from Berkeley, Neal responds, 'I'm pretty affirmative how she got in' -- but that attitude is more a side dish here than an entree; despite their conniving, these characters are lunkheads at worst."
Her screen credits extended beyond Vice Principals, including recurring roles on The Chi, All Rise, Devious Maids, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Better Call Saul. She also voiced Nicole Williams in the Cartoon Network animated series Craig of the Creek and its spin-offs, including the 2023 prequel film Craig Before the Creek and Jessica's Big Little World.
Hébert Gregory's film work included Chris Rock's I Think I Love My Wife (2007), Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer (2012), and the 2019 romantic drama Five Feet Apart. In 2019, she worked with Suzan-Lori Parks on the National Geographic anthology series Genius: Aretha, portraying talent agent Ruth Jean Baskerville Bowen.
Born on December 7, 1972, in Houston, Texas, Kimberly Hébert was the youngest of three children. She graduated from The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston before earning a BA in psychology from Mount Holyoke College in 1994. She later studied acting at The Theatre School at DePaul University and obtained a master's in social work from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration in 2002.
Hébert Gregory was married to actor and singer Chester Gregory, with whom she had a son. The couple later divorced. She was widely recognized not only for her talent on screen and stage but also for her mentorship and presence in the performing arts community.